Journey of the New Hero
by Omni-Creator Kami of Anime
Summary: Self-Insert. A guy from the real world dies, but is given a second chance at life. Except for 1 thing: he's in the Marvel Universe, and as one of its greatest and most iconic heroes no less. Will this SI be able to make a difference for the better and be the hero Marvel truly needs, or will he fail and potentially make things worse? Inspired by "The Spider".
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone, I have been a big fan of Fanfiction for years, and I have read many great fanfics throughout the years, and I've also acted as a Beta Reader for other authors, but I thought I would try my hand at making my own fanfic. Now, I would like to state for the record that while I am well aware of how Fanfiction works and how people will judge new fanfics, this is still my first fanfic nonetheless, so cut me some slack if some of you find it disappointing. I am writing this story since I am a huge Marvel fan, and that applies to both the comics and the MCU. This story will take place in the MCU for the most part, though I will diverge somewhat from canon, as it will include things outside of the MCU, including the Fantastic 4 and X-Men.**

 **Now, I would also like to state for the record that this story was inspired by "The Spider" by I'mjusttryingtofindmyway. It is an amazing fanfic, and definitely isn't like your standard Self-Insert fanfic. If you haven't read it, I would strongly recommend that you do.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not, in any way or form, own Marvel, the Avengers, Spider-Man, the X-Men, Fantastic 4, etc. And chances are that I never will.**

 **Now onwards to the story!**

* * *

Emptiness.

That was all that I could see, a never-ending white void in every direction with absolutely nothing to distract me. My memories of what happened before this were a blur, but the last thing I remember was going out with some friends to sweet party, there was a lot of dancing and drinking involved, and in the end my friends and I had left at 3 in the morning, with the majority of us being heavily drunk, with my friend Michael being the least drunk out of all of us. Obviously, we all had to leave, and Michael decided to drive back.

In hindsight, it was a terrible idea. No one drunk should've been driving, but we were so drunk we weren't thinking clearly. And in the end, Murphy's Law decided to be a bitch to us, as the next thing I know, there's a blinding white light in front of us before everything went dark.

This is SO unfair, I wasn't even fucking driving, and I still get in an accident, I just hope that everyone is okay. Except Michael, I'm still a little pissed at him for getting us into this mess.

At this point, I want to know where am I. Am I alive? Am I in a coma or something? Am I fucking dead?!

"Damn it all, where the hell am I?!" I yelled into the blank void that I apparently found myself in.

" **You are residing within my realm, there is no need to be angry or stressed,"** spoke a calm, unknown voice from behind me. It was unlike any voice I had ever heard, as it sounded unreal and somehow you could feel the power within the voice.

I turned around to see who the owner of this mysterious new voice was, and what I saw was a person unlike anyone I had ever seen, if he could even be considered a person at all. The "person" resembled a male man, except for one key difference: his body was pitch black aside from millions of little, glowing white dots that resembled stars covering all of his body, like he was the Night Sky given a Human form.

"Uh, not to sound rude, but where the hell am I?! Am I dead?!" I practically yelled for the second time. And in my opinion it was a perfectly justifiable reaction, given the circumstances and location, not to mention the mysterious stranger in front of me.

The "man" chuckled. " **There is no need for hostility. Allow me to introduce myself, I am the One-Above-All, the creator and ruler of the Multiverse. Now-**

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up, did you say you're the One-Above-All? As in the one who makes a few appearances and is vaguely referenced in Marvel?" I asked, as I couldn't help myself, as I was a huge Marvel fan, especially with the various comics and movies.

" **Yes, now to answer your questions, you are currently in Limbo, which is the boundary between the Living Realm and the Afterlife. And to answer your other question, you are not dead, but you aren't alive either, hence the reason why you are here in Limbo rather than the Living Realm or the Afterlife,"** He said, completely unperturbed by my rather rude interruption.

"Well, why am I here? Shouldn't I be in the Afterlife?" It was a legitimate question, though I felt that something big was going to happen, since it's not every day you meet someone like this, not to mention receiving unspoken confirmation that Marvel characters are actually real.

" **Well, given the somewhat unfair demise you endured, along with your unique talents and interests, I have a proposition for you,"** The One-Above-All said.

"A proposition? What kind of... proposition?" I asked rather cautiously.

" **Your skills and talents, coupled with your talents and skills, could be of great service to others, which is why I am offering you a second chance at life,"** The One-Above-All said.

I was shocked by what he told me, but I was rather suspicious, as it seemed too good to be true. "You caught my interest, though something tells me it isn't as simple as just a second chance. What's the catch?"

The One-Above-All seemed amused by this. **"I offer you a second chance at life, which is something many people would kill to get, and your first response is 'What's the catch?'"**

"Nothing comes without a price, and while it does sound nice to get a second chance, I want to get at least some idea of what I'm getting into before I decide," I countered, as I refused to take this "second chance" if it ended up being hell.

" **The catch, is that you will be reborn in a new universe, which is part of what the people of your world call the Marvel Multiverse, where you will face challenges based on the decisions you make, and determine the fate of the Universe, along with the fate of the other universes in the Multiverse, not to mention the fate of those you encounter throughout your journey. I am curious of how an individual such as yourself can change the course of events and destiny throughout the Multiverse, thought whether it's for better or for worse is your own decision. You could be a hero or a villain, it's up to you,"** The One-Above-All said.

"What will happen if I refuse this proposition?" I asked the All-Powerful Cosmic Being before.

" **You will pass on to the Afterlife for the rest of eternity, simple as that,"** The One-Above-All said in a polite tone.

A part of me was tempted to just reject the proposition and pass on to the afterlife, but another part of me, the huge Marvel-fan in me, was curious about this proposition.

"Hypothetically, if I accept your proposition, how will this work? Will I be reborn as a Marvel character? Will I get superpowers? Are there any rules I need to follow?" I asked the Being before me.

" **I will allow you to choose which Marvel character you wish to be reborn as, where the two of you will essentially fuse together mentally, with you retaining control and your memories and personality, and any powers you gain is based on your decision. As for rules, I will give you free reign, as I wish to see your impact in the course of events that will take place,"** The One-Above-All said.

I was very excited about this proposal now, though there was one more thing that I wanted to ask before I made my choice. "If I pick a certain individual, but say I want the powers or special skills or perks of other individuals, can I get them?"

The One-Above-All chuckled at this question. **"You are one rather ambitious individual. But to answer your question, I will give you the powers of other individuals that will appear over time, in addition to the initial powers and skills of the individual that you choose to be. Though don't expect to receive them all at once. And I will also provide you with additional perks that may appear at unexpected times. Furthermore, while I am giving you free reign to act as you please, I will be checking in with you on occasion, and depending on your journey, I will be testing you on how far you have come and what you have accomplished, bestowing the powers of individuals who may or may not exist in the Multiverse along the way."**

I smirked. "I would have to be a fool to turn down such an opportunity, especially with such perks. I accept."

The One-Above-All smiled at this. **"Excellent, now who do you wish to be reborn as, and who are the additional individuals whose powers you wish to have?"**

At this, my mind began to race as I thought of who I should be. I knew that Marvel was amazing, filled with all manner of amazing characters and weapons, among other things, but I also knew how dangerous Marvel could be. As I thought of which person I should be reborn as, one hero stood out in my mind consistently.

"Peter Parker," I said proudly. While Peter Parker had rather crappy luck, especially when it came to a social life and romance, he was easily Marvel's greatest hero, given his tendency to defy all odds and his ability to inspire and help others.

The One-Above-All beamed at my choice. **"An excellent choice, as Spider-Man has always been a hero that caught my eye. And who are the individuals whose powers you wish to have alongside those of Spider-Man?"**

Once again, my mind began to rush. I knew I had to be smart about this, especially since this is probably my one and only chance to get such amazing benefits, not to mention the dangers and villains that Marvel had. And multiple individuals had appeared in my mind.

The One-Above-All sensed my thoughts and spoke again. **"I have seen the individuals that you have chosen whose powers you wish to acquire, and I shall grant them to you. However, the powers of many of these individuals that you have chosen won't appear for some time. Since you have chosen Peter Parker, the powers of certain individuals won't appear until after the spider-bite that gives Peter his iconic abilities, while others will appear gradually over time before the spider-bite event. But I will allow you to pick 2 individuals whose powers you wish to have from the moment you are reborn as Peter Parker."**

The moment he said that, I was excited about the prospect of gaining the powers of the amazing individuals that I had thought of. And I knew which 2 individuals whose powers I wanted to start with.

"My first choice would be Rogue, as her power to absorb the powers, memories, and skills of those I touch, but I request to have full control over said power so that I don't kill anyone from touching them for too long unless I truly want to, and I wish to permanently integrate and assimilate the powers and memories of those I touch without being overwhelmed by them," I said, remembering the iconic power-absorbing mutant from the comics, movies, and even cartoons, but refusing to take the downsides of said powers, and I also remembered how in the comics and the X-Men Evolution cartoon that she could permanently retain powers that she absorbed.

" **I see, and the second individual?"** The One-Above-All asked.

"Longshot," I said. Peter Parker was the greatest hero in all of Marvel and had a tendency to defy all odds and defeat opponents that would far outclass him, but even I knew he wasn't perfect, and his greatest weakness and most crippling flaw was his bad luck. However, Longshot had many powers, with his most iconic being his Good-Luck variety of Probability Manipulation, which allowed Longshot to grant himself and, in many cases, others with good luck, which would come especially in handy for Peter Parker. And I wanted to be better than the original Peter Parker.

" **Interesting choices, but I shall grant them to you. And the powers of the other individuals that you had chosen will appear over time, along with special perks as I already mentioned,"** The One-Above-All said. **"Now, are you ready for your new life?"**

"I'm ready," I said, and there was a bright flash of light before everything disappeared.

* * *

 **-17 years later-**

It's been 17 years since I was reborn as Peter Parker. While I was very excited to have a second chance at life, and as Spider-Man in the Marvel Universe no less, I was shocked and somewhat horrified at the fact that I was a freaking BABY when I first appeared. And let me say, being a baby again was NOT fun, especially with everyone treating you like, well, a baby. And I couldn't do anything about it, since my vocal chords were underdeveloped at the time due to being a baby, so I couldn't say anything, though in hindsight it would be freaky if a baby could suddenly speak out of nowhere.

Like in virtually all versions of Peter Parker's origins, Peter's parent had disappeared when I was over a year old. Supposedly, they died in a plane crash. Nonetheless, I was left with Ben and May Parker, Peter's Aunt and Uncle. They were very great and caring people, and while I knew that I wasn't the original Peter Parker, I grew to see and love them as my real family, which they technically were now. Initially, they weren't well-off in terms of income and money, but since I had Longshot's good-luck powers since I was born, my good luck seems to have improved things significantly for them, as Uncle Ben was able to win a Powerball Jackpot in the lottery of over $400 million, which helped to avoid the financial instability that had often plagued the Parkers, especially since Ben Parker was a retired soldier from the military that currently acted as an electrician, while May Parker was a nurse. But even with all that money, Ben and May refused to let it get to our heads and avoided excessive spending and made an effort to keep me as humble as possible by emphasizing the importance of humility and hard work, though they did get a nice new house, which isn't an easy thing to get in New York City.

I took all the life lessons that Uncle Ben and Aunt May, which had become natural to call them as such, to heart. Especially with the whole "with great power, comes great responsibility philosophy". I never let the better financial position, or my current and future powers, get to my head. I also decided to do some research on where I was, as while I did know that I was in Marvel, I wanted to know if I was in a specific universe or continuity. It took some doing, but after seeing an image of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, I realized I was in the freaking Marvel Cinematic Universe of all places. I felt a combination of shock, surprise, excitement, and fear. The former 3 was because I never thought I would end up in the MCU of all places but still felt excited about being a part of my favorite movie franchise, while the latter was because of the extensive danger, destruction, and death that would no doubt appear. And while I knew I couldn't solve all the problems of the Universe/Multiverse, I also knew that I had an opportunity to stop much of the death and destruction that would follow. This desire grew stronger when I discovered that Charles Xavier had existed in this world as well and that the Baxter Building was in New York, which meant that the X-Men and Fantastic 4 existed in this version of the MCU, as it also meant that chances are that all kinds of Supervillains and rogue mutants, among other things, would appear as well. Not to mention, negative aspects of Marvel like Mutant discrimination and the Superhero Registration Act.

Because of this, I decided to take action as soon as I could. I had black belts in multiple martial arts from my old life, including Shaolin Kung Fu, Karate, Judo, Ninjutsu, Aikido, and Krav Maga, and I was even a 3-time champion in the U.S Open Martial Arts Championship, which was good since it meant I was better trained and extensively skilled in combat when compared to the original Peter Parker, but I decided to continue training to further refine my skills and to get in shape. When I was 5, I asked Aunt May and Uncle Ben if I could take martial arts lessons, which initially surprised them but they agreed. I quickly progressed due to already being a master, though it provided me the opportunity to sharpen my skills and potentially learn new styles, which was good since the place I chose to train wasn't just anywhere. It was the Chikara Dojo, where Colleen was teaching, and I quickly progressed under her tutelage, though I made sure not to draw TOO much attention, since I did NOT need the Hand after me for the time being. I distanced myself from the Chikara Dojo at the age of 12, which was probably for the best, so I wouldn't grow too attached. Although, the friends I made at the Dojo, along with Colleen, were saddened to see me go, and I hoped that I didn't need to fight or kill them.

I wasn't just brushing up on my fighting skills, though. While I wasn't ashamed to admit that I was very smart in my previous life, it was nothing compared to Peter Parker. The intelligence I now possessed was incredible, being over 10 times greater than that of my old life, and this was when I was a kid. I wouldn't be surprised if I surpassed the likes of Tony Stark, Hank Pym, Bruce Banner, and Reed Richards. And while I hadn't yet received the Spider-bite that gave Peter his iconic powers, I was able to develop the chemical formula for the webbing that I would use, with the webbing being very elastic and sticky along with virtually unbreakable once exposed to air. I also took the opportunity to make web-shooters, which were even better than I expected.

I also took to further mastering the powers I acquired. While Longshot's powers, which consisted of Good-Luck Probability Manipulation, Psychometry, Superhuman speed and Agility, and a decent Healing Factor were pretty straightforward, I decided to practice my control and mastery in Rogue's power. And while the actions of the One-Above-All ensured that I wouldn't kill them unless I wanted to and that I wouldn't be overwhelmed by the memories and personalities that I absorbed, I thought it would be a good idea to get a grasp of how the power worked and to get some practice with it. Unfortunately, there were no mutants, Inhumans, or enhanced individuals living nearby, so I wasn't able to test the power absorption application, so I had to use it on regular people. Luckily (or possibly because of my Good-Luck powers), I was able to quickly grasp the power and its applications, using it successfully on multiple people and even managed to do so in a manner that didn't harm or even draw the notice of other people. One of the people I had used it on was Colleen, which came in handy, since it further enlarged my repertoire of martial arts, including secret styles and techniques used by the Hand.

The one area that I wasn't able to make much progress in was the social aspect of Peter's life. While I tried to befriend kids in the schools I attended, I was admittedly more independent and mature than my peers for obvious reasons, not to mention much smarter, which put me on a different mental level than the others at the time. I met many people that appeared in the comics, cartoons, and movies involving Spider-Man, including Flash Thompson, Kong, Liz Allen, Harry Osborn, Gwen Stacey, and even an older Miles Morales, but other than the latter 2, I wasn't friends with any of them.

Flash started out as a decent person when he was a toddler, but he became just as much as a douchebag and an arrogant bully as in pretty much every incarnation of Spider-Man, though he couldn't really bully me since I wasn't afraid to stand up to him and he knew that I knew martial arts (although that didn't stop him from trying). Kong stayed close to Flash and by extension away from me, becoming a football jock just like Flash. Liz Allen never really liked me, always thinking I was a nerd and she wished to be a popular girl, which is why she became a cheerleader. Harry was a timid and rather nice person initially, and despite my better judgement and knowledge of Marvel telling me not to do it due to it potentially coming back to haunt me, I approached him to become his friend, which worked for a little while, until Flash and his cronies realized that Harry's family was rich and tried to bring him to them to gain all kinds of perks. Harry, being desperate for popularity, accepted Flash's offer, and he's become an arrogant and rather snobbish asshole. It was probably for the best, as the friendship between Peter and Harry was more or less destined to fail, plus I never liked Harry if I was honest.

I was surprised to see Gwen Stacey and even an older Miles Morales, but I quickly grew close to them. They were both incredibly intelligent, but also kind and humble. It also helped that I stopped Flash from bullying Miles, which definitely sparked the beginning of our friendship. And I refused to let Gwen Stacey die, even if I didn't end up in a relationship with her, and I could tell she had growing feelings for me, though I pretended not to notice.

But now, after 17 years, I could tell that the spider-bite event was going to happen soon. And my suspicions would turn out to be right much sooner than I thought.

* * *

 **-Line Break-**

My class was on a field trip to a lab, where they were showing genetic engineering and splicing, with the DNA of a human being displayed on multiple monitors. And the specimens that were being displayed were, surprise surprise, genetically-modified spiders.

I was trying to listen to the scientists lecturing us on their work with spiders, though I was keeping an eye out for the spider that would give me my powers. Unfortunately, I was distracted by the grade-A asshole known as Flash Thompson.

"God, this is so boring. Who gives a damn about some stupid spiders? They're useless pests, it's not like this stuff will really change the world!" Leave it to Flash to not appreciating what was being shown to him, and I knew he would eat those words later on, since I knew that Flash would become a major Spider-Man fan.

Still, I wasn't going to let Flash get away with being an asshole. "You should be quiet, Flash. It isn't useless at all."

"Oh really, puny Parker? And what exactly will these spiders be useful for?" Flash said condescendingly, drawing the attention of his fellow jockies and multiple students, while the teacher and tour guide were ignorant of what was happening. Despite the fact that Flash was the same height as me and that I was, in fact, muscular in a lean way (though many didn't notice this since I tended to wear baggy clothes), he tended to call me "puny".

"A lot of things, actually, with medical research being one of them. Spider cells have the ability to self-heal, allowing them repair and cure themselves of any injuries and diseases. Their DNA could be the key to curing the likes of all forms of cancer, along with revolutionizing medical care. You won't be so skeptical if something bad happens to you or a family memb-," I was abruptly cut off when I felt a searing pain in my hand, and I looked to see 2 bright red marks on my hand that was swelling a bit. I also saw a spider fall onto the floor, dead.

I came to a realization: it was finally happening! I would be so happy if I didn't feel so much pain, who knew a spider bite could be so damn painful! I practically roared from the pain, drawing the attention of everyone!

"Argh!"

"Mr. Parker, are you alright?! Mr. Parker!" Our teacher, Mrs. Stevens, yelled as she quickly ran towards me, with shock and concern written all over her face. A crowd of the students surrounded us.

I managed to clear my head enough from the pain to respond. "Yeah, I-I think I'll be fine," I managed to stammer out.

This eased some of Mrs. Stevens' worries, though she still looked concerned. "Alright, class! I'm afraid we'll have to cut this trip short! Everyone, stay together and walk back to the bus in the parking lot!"

The class quickly obeyed Mrs. Stevens and headed outside to the school bus outside, though some students, like Flash and his cronies were glad to get out of there, while Gwen and Miles were looking at me with concern. We managed to get on the bus before the pain started to get worse.

"Pete! You'll be fine, Pete! Hang in-," Miles' words eventually stopped as I lost consciousness.

* * *

 **-Line Break-**

I managed to gain some semblance of consciousness when I found myself in the same white void I was in before I was reborn, and appearing before me was the One-Above-All himself.

" **It has finally happened, you have gained your spider-powers, and your true journey has now begun,"** The One-Above-All said. As he said before, the One-Above-All had checked in on me every once in a while, though he hadn't visited for several months, which was when I unlocked the powers of Wolverine.

As the Cosmic Being told me beforehand, I would acquire the powers of some of the individuals that I had been thinking about before the spider-bite, with the rest appearing after the spider-bite. So far, I had gained the powers of Wolverine and Taskmaster. Taskmaster's ability appeared when I was 10, granting me both photographic memory and photographic reflexes, along with physical movement prediction. This made things easier to memorize and further improved my mastery in martial arts due to the fact that I could instantaneously master new fighting styles at a glance, and allowed me to predict the movements of other, which I knew would be very useful for combat. Wolverine's power appeared when I was 13, improving my senses and strengthened the healing factor I initially got from Longshot to new heights, along with giving me Wolverine's claws. Although, I asked the One-Above-All if he could bond my claws and bones with Proto-Adamantium rather than regular Adamantium, as it was the only metal in Marvel to be truly indestructible and I really didn't need Adamantium poisoning, not to mention the fact that Proto-Adamantium was partially comprised of Vibranium, which had all sorts of benefits. Extremely light-weight, completely vibration absorbent, compatible with organic tissue and even enhanced it (which meant that Proto-Adamantium would enhance my healing factor rather than hinder it), and invisible to metal detection.

And thankfully, the One-Above-All agreed and granted my request, which was great since Proto-Adamantium was originally created under mysterious circumstances and was impossible to re-create after Captain America's shield was made, not to mention the fact that both Vibranium and Adamantium were both exceptionally rare and expensive, and in many cases well-guarded, so it's not like I could've acquired it on my own. And the One-Above-All took it one step further by making the Proto-Adamantium bonded to my bones completely immune to magnetism and electricity, meaning I wouldn't to worry about it Magneto using it to control me or that my skeleton would make me a living conductor and get electrocuted.

I cleared my head enough from the pain to respond. "Yeah, that's great, though that also mean that things will no doubt be getting more dangerous. Does this mean I'm gonna get the rest of the powers of the individuals that I thought of?" I asked, the Cosmic Being in front of me did tell me that the rest of the powers would appear after I got my spider powers.

" **Eventually, yes. They aren't going to appear all at once, so be patient,"** The One-Above-All said calmly.

"Great, now if only this damn pain would go away," I said, still feeling pain throughout my mind.

" **Pain builds character and is a good reminder of humility, which are important traits for being a great hero, assuming that's what you still wish to be. Now that you've acquired your spider powers, is this the path you wish to take? Or do you wish to be a villain, or a neutral being?"** The One-Above-All asked.

"There's no point in me being neutral, otherwise I would've rejected your original offer and pass on to the Afterlife, and being a villain is both wrong and will set me up to fail in the end," I responded with a determined look. "Besides, with great power comes great responsibility. And that's not just the Parker family motto, it's a valuable piece of wisdom that I took to heart as a kid in my original life, and it's been continuously reinforced by Uncle Ben since I got here. I have a responsibility to use my power to fix problems and help those who cannot help themselves. If I don't step up and people die when I could've done something to save them, then it's on me. And given how many people could die because of my inaction, I have to act. Besides, the world and the rest of the Universe isn't going to improve unless I act. So I will become Spider-Man."

The One-Above-All smiled at this response. **"You have come far since becoming Peter Parker, and I am impressed by the wisdom and maturity you have displayed, it is truly worthy of Spider-Man. I look forward to seeing how your actions change the course of Destiny in the Multiverse."**

"Thank you," I said, feeling pride at the compliment given to me. "Is that all you came to say?"

" **Pretty much. The combination of Longshot's healing factor, Logan's Healing factor, the Proto-Adamantium, and the self-healing capabilities you have now gained effectively make you immortal in virtually every possible way, though I would encourage that you not do anything excessively stupid."** The Cosmic Being said, with a smirk at the end.

A tick mark formed on head, but I kept my cool. "I won't. By the way, since Mutants and the X-Men exist in this world, do I need to worry about any telepaths reading my mind and discovering the truth involving my origins? Or any cosmic beings for that matter?"

" **No,"** The One-Above-All said firmly. **"I have placed an unbreakable mental barrier in your mind that protects your original memories and your knowledge of the Multiverse, preventing any telepath or cosmic being from discovering the truth or your connection to me. Your regular thoughts and your memories as Peter Parker, on the other hand, are still open. Which is something you will experience first-hand soon,"** At this point, he had a mischievous smirk on his face that didn't sit entirely well with me.

"First hand?" I asked cautiously.

" **As I said before, I would provide some perks to you in addition to your powers, such as when I gave you a Proto-Adamantium skeleton. Let's just say that I've given you another perk, though what you do with it is up to you,"** The Cosmic Being said, his smirk still being present.

"Wha-," I was cut off as everything began to fade around me, as I was regaining full consciousness.

* * *

 **-Line Break-**

I woke up to find myself in a hospital bed, with Miles and Gwen sitting nearby but rushed over when they saw I was awake.

"Peter, oh thank god you're awake! You're in the hospital, and your Uncle is on the way!" Gwen said in a relieved tone, as she didn't anything bad to happen to the guy she liked.

"The doctor already checked on you, and he said that you experienced an allergic reaction to the spider-bite. He said you should take at least a week off from school to rest, but that you should be fine Pete," Miles said to his best friend.

"That's great, I'm glad to hear that," I said to the 2 of them. Honestly though, I didn't feel like I needed rest to recover, as I felt perfectly fine. Better than fine, actually, which was probably a result of my newly acquired spider powers, along with my existing powers. But I knew better than to say this out loud, as Gwen and my relatives would still be worried, not to mention there was no need to draw unnecessary suspicions. "By the way, where is my Aunt May?" I asked since I knew my Aunt was a nurse at Metro-General Hospital.

"She checked up on you while you were unconscious, and she said she would come once your Uncle got here," almost immediately after Gwen said this, the door to Peter's room opened, with Ben and May Parker coming inside.

"Peter, thank god you are okay," Uncle Ben said. "The doctor already gave me the whole story, and explained that you will make a full recovery."

"Please don't make us worry like that again, Peter," Aunt May said, concern clearly being laced in her voice.

"I've already signed the release forms, let's go home Peter," Uncle Ben said while approaching my bed to help me leave, even though I didn't need it. But I complied and accepted his help nonetheless while Aunt May and my friends left with us.

* * *

 **-Line Break-**

 **5 days later**

I spent the last several days in bed, having been forced to pretend that I was still sick to avoid drawing any unnecessary suspicions. Needless to say, I was bored out of my mind. I did look on the internet or watch the news to pass the time, and Miles and Gwen visited when they could. The big thing that the media and everyone was talking about was the fact that Tony Stark had announced yesterday that he was Iron Man. Everyone was going nuts about this, though I knew this signaled the start of the MCU, which also means that I have to step up my game if I'm gonna change the course of things for the better. Plus, I really wanted to be an Avenger, a founding member of the Avengers like Tony or Steve, and definitely not a "background Avenger" like Clint.

If I had to guess, I got at least 2 months before the events of the Hulk movie. I could help stop the Abomination and befriend the Hulk, while also reducing the collateral damage and innocent people caught in the crossfire. Luckily, my newly acquired spider-powers had fully set in, my physical capabilities were much higher than they were before, and I could feel the tiny protrusions on my fingers that let me stick and climb to walls, and I didn't need to be a genius to know that I had the coveted Spider-sense.

"Peter, are you okay, dear?" Aunt May's voice brought me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine Aunt May," I quickly responded back.

"Okay then. Now, Anna Watson is coming over today, and she's bringing her niece, who is staying with her due to family issues. Do you mind talking and spending time with her?" Aunt May asked.

I raised an eyebrow at this. So, Mary Jane Watson has finally appeared. I wonder how this will go, especially if Mary Jane comes to Midtown High, considering that Gwen was alive and attending as well. While Gwen did genuinely have romantic feelings for me, and I did care for her and think she was beautiful, I wasn't sure if it was wise to pursue a romantic relationship with her, given her tragic fate.

Either way, this would make for an interesting meeting.

"I don't mind meeting her, Aunt May," I told her.

"Excellent! Now she will be coming over in a few hours, so be ready!" Aunt May said, going to her own bedroom.

I proceeded to my own room, where I took out all my gear I would use as Spider-man. I was able to prepare the web-fluid and web-shooter years ago, and I was preparing my outfit. While the Parkers were better off financially now than compared to before, I couldn't risk spending too much, or there was a possibility that Ben and May would get suspicious, even if I did have Good-luck powers. Fortunately, I had managed to design a suit that bore a striking resemblance to the Superior Spider-Man suit ( **A/N:** **I didn't pick this suit because I'mjjusttryingtofindmyway did it, but because I genuinely like the suit** ), albeit without the extra arms or gauntlets. The web-shooters were already finished, and I created slots on the gloves of the suit for my claws to come out from. I decided that the best course of action was to improve the range of the web-shooters and the number of web cartridges I could keep in the suit.

I had finished making the necessary improvements when Aunt May called me from the kitchen and said that Anna Watson and Mary Jane were here.

I quickly put away all my stuff, making sure it was hidden well, before proceeding to head to the Living Room to meet our guests.

When I entered the room, I saw an elderly lady with a kind expression sitting on the couch, and next to her was a very beautiful red-haired girl with bright green eyes and a rather curvaceous hourglass-figure. I could tell that Mary Jane was only going to become more beautiful when she got older, though whether she and I got into a relationship would remain to be seen.

"Hello, Peter! It's so good to see you again, and I'm glad that you're feeling better! Allow me to introduce my niece, this is Mary Jane," Anna said while gesturing to the pretty redhead girl sitting next to her.

Mary Jane seemed a little nervous and refused to make eye contact, which I found very unusual since she was usually portrayed to be rather confident and a bit of a flirt in most of her appearances in the movies and comics. Since she was looking at my chest, I decided to tease her a bit.

"My eyes are up here," I said in an amused tone. The young redhead blushed upon realizing her action.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm Mary Jane, as my Aunt just said," she stuttered a bit.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Peter Parker, and seeing that this is the first time I've met you, I'm guessing you're new in town?"

"Yeah, I'm staying with my Aunt Anna, and I'm planning on attending Midtown High," she said.

"I go there already, and since you're new here, you want me to give you a little tour around town while giving you some tips when you go to Midtown High?" I said. Not really a date, as I'm not sure I'll even have a romantic relationship with Mary Jane, but definitely a good way to break the ice and get to know each other.

"Sure! Aunt Anna, you don't mind if I go with Peter, do you?"

"Of course not, though do be careful, dear."

"I will!" Mary Jane said before following me out the door.

"They look so nice together, wouldn't you agree, Anna?" May asked her friend, who nodded in agreement.

* * *

 **-Line Break-**

I showed Mary Jane around the neighborhood, saying hi to any people we came across, while getting to know each other.

"So, do you have a nickname? Mary Jane seems a bit of a mouthful," I asked, even though I knew her nickname already, but I pretended to be oblivious.

"People call me MJ, Tiger."

"Tiger? Is that my new nickname, MJ?" I asked in amusement, though a little surprised she already started calling me that.

"Sure, it suits you perfectly, Tiger," she said with a flirtatious smile.

"Maybe Tiger would be better suited for you, given that you were blatantly ogling me like I was a piece of meat."

MJ blushed in embarrassment. "Hey, I said I was sorry!"

I chuckled at her embarrassment. "Whatever you say. So, what exactly are you interested in?"

MJ beamed at this. "I love theater. I'm hoping to become an actress. What about you, Tiger?"

Obviously, I couldn't tell her that I was going to be a superhero that would save the Universe, so I went with a different answer. "I'm not completely sure, I'm pretty smart and good with science, so maybe I'll be an inventor and scientist. But my foremost goal is to make the world a better place."

"You're a pretty ambitious individual, you know that, Tiger?" MJ said.

"I've been told, but if a billionaire genius like Tony Stark can be a superhero, who says I can't?" I told her.

"A hero, huh? Well Tiger, if you want to be a hero, then I'll be rooting for you. Even if you are a bit of a nerd," MJ said with a teasing smirk.

"A nerd, huh? You do realize that 'nerds' are the people that make the technology we use every day, like cell phones and cars, right? Plus, you can't be successful without a decent amount of brains, and many of the most powerful and important people are 'nerdy' one way or another." I countered.

"You didn't deny you were a nerd, Tiger."

"If it's nerdy to like movies like Star Wars or to have an interest in science to make the world a better place, then I'll gladly be a nerd," I laughed, which was mirrored by MJ's own.

We continued to talk for a few more hours as we toured the neighborhood, with MJ asking more about Midtown, which I responded by telling her about my own friendship with Miles and Gwen while also providing her with some tips, like what painfully stereotypical elements of high school were present at Midtown and which people to avoid, although whether she followed my advice was up to her.

I spent the last two days of my week off from school getting fully accustomed to my newly acquired spider-powers. Needless to say, having superhuman strength, speed, and agility alongside mastery in martial arts was truly incredible, and when combined with the additional strength of my Proto-Adamantium skeleton and Taskmaster's combat abilities, chances are that I could hold my own and beat even the best and most highly trained combatants in Marvel, although Captain America and Black Widow could probably find a way to beat me thanks to their experience and insight.

MJ kept in contact with me during my last 2 days off from school, and we hung out and got closer. I even took her to the Delacorte Theater to see "A Midsummer's Night Dream" since I knew how much MJ liked theater.

Needless to say, she loved it.

Alas, my time off from school was ending, and I had to return to school, no matter how much I hated it. While I liked hanging out with Miles and Gwen, along with subtly checking out Gwen when she didn't notice, I was annoyed with having to deal with Flash and his gang of idiots, Harry and his snobbish behavior, Liz Allen and the bitchy behavior that she and her fellow cheerleaders would typically display, and all the horrible stereotypical behaviors at Midtown High.

I didn't even need to be at Midtown High, as I could've easily finished and graduated early from High School several years ago, like Tony Stark!

Unfortunately, Uncle Ben and Aunt May refused to let me do so, as they insisted that I should socialize more with people my age and that social skills were needed just as much as being smart. And there weren't necessarily wrong, as early graduates tended to be socially awkward, but still!

The night before I had to return to school, I snuck out into the middle of the night, deciding to put my suit and web-shooters for another test run.

The feeling of web-slinging across New York was exhilarating! Who knew that swinging across the city could be so amazing!

Eventually, I landed on the side of a skyscraper that gave me a good view of the city.

"This is unbelievable! I'm actually Spider-Man! THE Spider-Man! New York won't know what hit them!" I said, before deciding to go web-swinging across the city in the cover of night.

* * *

 **-Line Break-**

I was in standing alongside MJ, in front of the bane of my existence: high school.

I sighed in annoyance. "Come on, MJ. I'll help you out for your first day," I said, with MJ following me inside.

I showed her the main hallway, which was filled to the brim with students doing the typical teenage things ranging from talking to fighting, many of whom formed the typical cliques and divisions of high school: sports jocks, the cheerleaders, the nerds, hipsters, theatre fanatics, the goths, the video gamers, weirdos, musicians, the regular people, and pretty much everything else.

Although, many of the students were staring at us. None of the students were used to seeing me with a pretty girl outside of Gwen. Many guys were ogling MJ, while many of the girls were ogling me. We did admittedly stand out, and apparently girls were starting to develop new opinions of me now that I wasn't wearing those stupid glasses. I could only imagine how they would react if I wore less baggy clothing that hid my muscles.

I took her to the Counselor's office so that MJ could talk to one of the school counselors, after which I took MJ to our first period class, as we shared World History together.

"Hey Pete!" A voice called out to me as we entered the class, and I turned to the side to see Miles walking towards us, with Gwen closely following and was staring at MJ in curiosity.

"Hey Miles, Gwen! Guys, this is Mary Jane Watson! Mary Jane, these are my best friends, Miles and Gwen," I said, introducing MJ to my friends.

"Nice to meet you both, and you can call me MJ," MJ said politely to Miles and Gwen.

"It's nice to meet you, too! Any friend of Pete is a friend of mine!" Miles said, with Gwen nodding in agreement.

"I'm Gwen Stacey, and it's great to have another girl around here, assuming you're sticking around," Gwen told MJ.

Before our conversation could go any further, a loud and very obnoxious voice interrupted us.

"Well, well, well. Puny Parker's back! Did that itsy bitsy spider bite finally get better?" Flash said in a mocking tone, getting his fellow jocks to laugh at the insult.

I rolled my eyes. "As a matter of fact, it did. Nice of you to be concerned about me, though you should know that I'm into girls."

Flash's smirk immediately was replaced by an enraged expression. "I'm not gay, Parker! Why I oughta-," whatever Flash was about to say stopped when he saw MJ.

Immediately, Flash calmed down and spoke with what he probably assumed was an appealing tone. "And who are you babe?"

MJ didn't seem impressed. "Mary Jane," she said before turning to me. "Guessing this is a normal occurrence?"

"Unfortunately. Flash really fills the position of the stereotypical high school bully and football jock, though I guess it would be more accurate to say he's a Blonde gorilla with the mind of a very insecure little girl trying to get out," I said with a straight face, causing MJ, Gwen, and Miles to roar with laughter at my description of Flash, along with any other students in earshot.

Flash looked even more enraged than before. "You better watch it, Puny Parker, or I'll make you regret it," he growled out.

"I'd like to see you try, Eugene," I said calmly, getting everyone in the classroom to look at us with wide eyes due to our confrontation and the fact that I referred to Flash by his real name, which is something no one did. "You're all bark and no bite, considering you never follow up on your threats towards me. And while you may be good at football, we both know who would win in a fight since only one of us is good at martial arts."

Flash, whose face was turning a deep shade of red, was about to respond when I interrupted. "Save yourself the embarrassment by sitting down and shutting up, Flash. This bully routine of yours is getting old, and if you think that it's okay for you to pick on anyone whenever you feel like it, you're going to have a rather rude wake-up call in the future."

The classroom fell silent after I said my piece, including my friends. I turned around and walked to my seat when my Spider-sense went off, and I quickly turned around to catch the football that was thrown at my head, shocking Flash and everyone else.

"Watch it, Flash. This will not end well for you, so stop yourself while you're ahead," I warned. Considering that I trained myself to deal with criminals and the worst villains in Marvel, I doubt someone like Flash could beat me in a fight. My Healing factor and Proto-Adamantium skeleton ensured that it would be impossible for Flash to truly hurt me or cause lasting injury. Not to mention that I could technically kill him by simply touching him if I truly wanted to, if I decided to use Rogue's power.

Fortunately, before the situation could escalate any further, our History teacher had finally arrived. "Alright class, settle down and find your seats."

I took my usual seat, with Gwen and Miles following me to our usual area. Flash and his cronies had sat in their own section, while the rest of class found their seats.

"Everyone, we have 2 new students joining our class today," our teacher said, which surprised me a little. 2 new students? MJ was one, but who's the other?

"Our first new student is Mary Jane Watson," our teacher pointed to MJ when saying this. "Our other new student is Lisa Parks," our teacher then gesturing to an African American girl with heavily braided hair who was sitting rather close to my friends and me.

Immediately, my suspicions were raised. The girl seemed familiar, I felt like I knew her or that I had seen her before, but where?

My eyes widened in sudden realization as the answer finally came to me from my knowledge of the MCU, but it was impossible! Or at least should be impossible!

Her real name wasn't Lisa Parks! It was Shuri! As in the sister of the Black Panther, T'Challa, and daughter of T'Chaka! The princess of Wakanda was in our class!

But what was she doing here, especially now? I knew from the Black Panther movie that Wakanda sent some of its citizens undercover in other countries as War Dog spies, including here in New York City, and I also knew that the Wakandan Royal Family could be involved in War Dog assignments, if N'Jobu was any indication. But still, you'd think that T'Chaka would be reluctant to send his own family members outside Wakanda after what happened with his brother and secret nephew, especially since his daughter was the brightest mind and innovator in Wakanda, along with one of the best in the world.

If Shuri is here, there has to be a particularly special reason. There's no way T'Chaka would risk sending his own daughter to America without a good reason that required her specifically.

But what could that reason be?

Either way, I knew I had tread carefully. From my knowledge of the Black Panther movie, Wakanda had multiple War Dog spies here in New York City, and chances are that they will defend Shuri and each other to the end. Hell, given how important Shuri is Wakanda, I wouldn't be too surprised if a member of the Dora Milaje or possibly even T'Challa himself was in New York to protect her!

Even with all my skills and current powers, the absolute last thing I needed was Wakandans on my ass!

This was a risky gamble. If I could befriend Shuri and earn her trust, it could help improve relations with her brother and her country, making it easier to gain their help and support in the future, especially if I can prevent Civil War from happening. However, if Shuri didn't trust me and deemed me to be a threat, not only would it strain relations with T'Challa and Wakanda, but it would get extremely dangerous Wakandans after me.

I should probably avoid using my claws in front of her as Spider-Man, considering that Proto-Adamantium was partially comprised of Vibranium, and that would definitely lead to suspicions and misunderstandings.

When Shuri noticed that I was staring at her, she briefly smiled at me before returning her attention back to the lecture our teacher provided. I did the same, but I couldn't really focus on the lecture.

Something big was gonna happen, I just know it!

* * *

 **-Line Break-**

After the lecture was over, my friends and I headed out of the classroom. MJ had decided to join us, which made sense due to her being new and I was the only person she knew.

Before we could get far, a voice rang out that caught my attention.

"Hey, Mr. Parker!"

We all turned around to see Lisa Parks, AKA Shuri, walking towards us while smiling.

"Hey Lisa," I said, deciding it was best to maintain the charade that I didn't know who she really was. "Though please call me Peter. What's up?"

"Is it alright if you could help me find my next class? I'm new here, and I was hoping someone could help me find my next classroom," She asked with a perfect American accent, it always amazed me how Wakandan War Dogs could perfectly mimic accents.

"I have English next and I gotta go, so I won't be able to join you guys," MJ said. "What are you all taking next?"

"AP Physics," Gwen, Miles, Shuri, and myself said simultaneously.

"Wow, you guys are all such nerds," MJ said playfully, causing the rest of us to laugh.

"Geniuses is the proper term, MJ," I quipped. "We're all smart, it's nothing to be ashamed about, since geniuses are typically the most successful people."

"Pete's right. If being smart and successful makes you a nerd, then I'll gladly be a nerd any day," Miles said jovially.

"Finally, something we can agree on, Morales," An arrogant voice nearby spoke, which I immediately frowned at upon recognizing who spoke. "You and Parker are massive nerds."

We turned to see a snobby looking teenager wearing expensive clothing and a stylized haircut approach us. Great, the only person at Midtown High that could rival Flash in being the biggest asshole: Harry Osborn.

And as if things couldn't be any more annoying, Flash and his gang were with him. Not to mention Liz Allen and a few of her fellow cheerleaders, who while very pretty, acted rather bitchy towards me and anyone that wasn't popular.

"Mind your own business, Osborn, and last I checked, no one was talking to you," I told Harry, not really in the mood to deal with his obnoxious attitude.

"Watch your tone, Parker. I'll speak to whoever I want, whenever I want," Harry condescendingly remarked, before looking towards MJ. "And you are?"

Before MJ could respond, Liz spoke up. "She's Mary Jane Watson, one of the new students, Harry," She said before speaking directly with MJ. "I'm Liz Allen, Cheerleading Captain, by the way."

"Hey, I'm Mary Jane, though I prefer MJ," MJ said in an unsure tone, not sure if she should be talking with them.

"Well, MJ," Harry said. "You shouldn't be hanging out with the likes of Parker or Morales. Neither should you, Stacey," Harry said while facing Gwen.

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Knock it off, Osborn. I'll be friends with whoever I like."

"Your loss, Stacey," Liz said, who still couldn't understand why a girl as pretty as Gwen would want to hang out and be friends with the likes of Peter or Miles. "What about you MJ? You into fashion?"

"I love fashion!" MJ exclaimed while beaming with excitement. Before long, MJ was dragged with Liz and her fellow cheerleaders on a discussion on the latest lines in clothing.

While they were talking, Harry turned to face Shuri, though he didn't have the same level of interest in his eyes as he did when he spoke with MJ and Gwen.

"What about you? Lisa, right? You're new here, so trust me when I say that Parker and Morales are the last people you wanna be friends with," Harry said.

"Oh, and why is that?" Shuri spoke with a raised eyebrow.

"Puny Parker and Morales are wimps and nerds, it's as simple as that!" Flash exclaimed, with his gang nodding dumbly in agreement. "Only losers would want to hang out with the likes of them."

"So I'm a loser then, Flash?" Gwen countered, causing Flash to look at her.

"If you insist on hanging out with them, then yes," Flash said. "Even though I'm with Liz, I'm not afraid to say you're pretty hot, Stacey. You could easily be friends with or date anyone, and you easily become one of the most popular girls in this school, yet you choose to hang out with these losers," he gestured towards Miles and myself. "It's unbecoming of you."

"I'd rather have decent best friends than be the most popular girl in the school, especially if being popular means I have to be mean to everyone 'unpopular' like you, Osborn, or Liz," Gwen spoke with disgust.

"I agree, having friends that support you and have your back is more important than being the most popular, and how you have been acting only proves it," Shuri said with conviction. Clearly, she preferred us over Harry, Flash, Liz, and the other students in the 'popular crowd'.

"Then you'll both be losers like Puny Parker and Morales," Flash said before he growled at me. "And don't think I've forgotten about what happened before class. You and I are going to settle this, one way or another."

I rolled my eyes. "I actually have a life, Thompson, and it doesn't revolve around you. And I have better thing to do than to have dick-measuring contest with you just to heal your bruised ego. Now we have class to get to, so get lost, Thompson."

Before Flash could retort any further, we took off for class, though I noticed that Shuri had stared at Harry with a calculating look in her narrowed eyes. Come to think of it, she did look at Harry longer than the others.

Shuri had to be here in New York for a reason, and did her look at Harry mean that he, or more likely his father Norman Osborn was involved?

It wouldn't surprise me too much, given that Osborn was a multi-billionaire and had a massive mega-corporation like Oscorp at his disposal, and the fact that Norman became the Green Goblin, Spider-Man's archenemy, and played a role in the creation of many of Spider-Man's villains didn't really do much to dissuade the notion.

The 4 of us headed to our Physics class, where naturally, each of us displayed our exceptional skill and talent for the subject. Traits we later displayed in our other subjects.

* * *

 **-Line Break-**

After all our classes were over, we walked out of school together.

"So Lisa, I probably should've asked this a lot sooner, but where are you from?" Miles asked the undercover Wakandan.

"I moved here from Atlanta," she said, though I knew she was lying. "I'm currently staying in Harlem with my parents, along with my Aunt and cousins." Again I knew she was lying, as I knew T'Chaka and his wife would NOT be in New York when they were needed to rule Wakanda. Chances are that the "parents" and "cousins" were fellow Wakandan War Dog spies, though the mention of an "Aunt" led me to believe that the "Aunt" or possibly the "Mother" was a member of the Dora Milaje.

There was no way in hell that T'Chaka would send his own daughter to New York unprotected, especially given the fiasco involving his brother. And the fact that Shuri didn't mention a brother potentially implied that T'Challa wasn't in New York.

"Well, I hope you enjoy New York, Lisa," Miles said, interrupting me from my thoughts. "Well, I gotta go, my folks are waiting for me. See you guys tomorrow!" Miles said before taking off.

"I have to leave as well, as my family will be worried if I don't return home soon. It was great to meet you all!" Shuri told us before heading to her residence in Harlem.

"Well, that just leaves you and me, Peter," Gwen said to me, though there was an almost unnoticeable blush on her cheeks.

I smirked at this, I had known that Gwen was developing feelings for me for some time. I wasn't sure how to approach this, as I didn't want Gwen to die and I wasn't completely sure I liked Gwen like that. Though, it was nice to know that a girl as pretty as Gwen had feelings for me.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? What would your dad, Captain Stacey, think if he knew his daughter was alone with a guy?" I said with a teasing smile, which turned into a laugh when I saw that Gwen's blush to grow from what I implied.

"I'm just teasing, Gwen. I'll walk you back to your apartment before I head home," I said, deciding to be a gentleman and walk her home.

Gwen smiled at this, and we made it to her apartment building before I decided to head home. Before I could step away from Gwen, she called my name.

"Peter!"

I turned around to face Gwen again, only for her appear in front of me and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

My eyes widened somewhat in surprise while Gwen had a smile and a glint of joy in her eyes.

"I know it was just a spider-bite, but I'm glad that your okay," Gwen said, with a moderate blush on her cheeks. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

I gave Gwen a genuine smile. "Definitely, Gwen. See you tomorrow!"

I turned around and was heading home. Before I could get there, however, a scream that obviously sounded female caught my attention.

I looked to see some guy that resembled the stereotypical thug pull a red-headed girl into an alleyway on the other side of the street, clearly to stay out of sight. I was briefly surprised by this, but I knew I had to do something.

I ran towards the alleyway, and my eyes widened at what I saw.

The red-head, as clique as it may seem, was MJ, though she had several cuts on her arms but thankfully they appeared minor, and her left eye was purple, indicating that she had been beaten and bruised.

The thug, who was a white guy with torn jeans, a jacket, and a hoodie, was pressing her against the wall with one hand on her throat.

"Please, stop! Let me go! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP M-," MJ screamed with tears coming out of her eyes before the thug moved the hand on her throat to her mouth, muffling her shouts.

"Shut up, you red-headed bimbo, or this will get lot worse! And you should be happy, because I know you'll enjoy this in the end," the thug said in a dark tone, with his other hand inching towards his pants.

I had seen more than enough and knew I needed to intervene.

"Hey! Get away from her, you son of a bitch!" I yelled, getting both of their attentions.

"Stay out of this, brat, and maybe I'll let you have your way with her after I'm done!" the thug growled, causing MJ to look at me with pleading eyes.

"Last chance. Get away from her, or things are going to end badly for you," I said firmly.

The thug laughed. "Really? What's a kid like you gonna do to me? I was gonna let this girl live after I was done, but I guess I'll have to kill her and you!" The thug let go of MJ, only to pull a knife from his pocket and ran towards me.

I knew he couldn't kill me due to my vast healing capabilities and my indestructible skeleton, though I couldn't use my claws or Rogue's power. It would draw too much attention, and while I hated rapists more than virtually anything, I wasn't ready to kill, at least not yet.

Still, it wasn't like I couldn't use my other skills and powers. I was easily able to foresee and predict how the thug would attack with the knife due to Taskmaster's power photographic reflexes and my mastery in martial arts, which I dodged easily.

He tried to strike me again, though I caught his arm before striking him in the stomach and punching him in the face, causing him to land on the ground.

I rolled my eyes at how easily he fell. I knew I had spider-strength and an indestructible skeleton to make my punches stronger, but this was pathetic.

Pushing my thoughts aside, I was going to head to MJ, when my spider-sense went off.

I turned around to see that the thug managed to get up, apparently faking his fall and planning to jump me. Clever, but not good enough.

Deciding to end this quickly, I quickly caught the incoming fist and twisted it behind him behind him before sweeping him off his feet and holding him against the ground. Using more strength, along with using my good-luck powers to ensure a fast outcome, I hit him in the head to knock him unconscious.

Once I saw that he wasn't going to get up for a little while, I walked towards MJ.

"Are you alright?" I asked, although I knew it was a stupid to ask this after what just happened.

Instead of answering, MJ wrapped herself around me and buried her face in my chest, sobbing hard.

Not knowing what else to do in this situation, I decided to follow my instincts and wrapped my arms around her while using my left hand to rub her back in a soothing manner to help calm her down.

"It's okay, MJ. It's all over. Let me take her home."

She didn't say anything, but she held close to me while I took her back to her Aunt's house.

As we headed back, I realized something: even though I wasn't in costume, this could easily be considered my first act as a superhero. Saving MJ from a would-be rapist and killer.

After I took MJ back to Aunt's house, who was shocked and horrified by the state that MJ was in, I was explained what happened to Anna Watson. I had to reiterate some parts, but she got the whole story, and she was thankful that MJ was okay.

I headed home, where Anna Watson told Aunt May and Uncle Ben about what I did, and while they were surprised, they were proud of me for what I did for MJ.

After I headed into my room, I looked out the window while thinking to myself.

"Look out, Marvel. The new and improved Spider-Man is here, and I'm not going anywhere," I said to myself with confidence.

I may not have lost Uncle Ben like the original Peter Parker did, but that doesn't mean I can't be a great hero, and I refuse to be motivated by guilt like the original Peter was.

I was gonna help save lives and save the universe alongside the Avengers as Spider-Man, and I will intervene to make necessary changes in the MCU.

This is my journey.

* * *

 **A/N: So, what does everyone think? Keep in mind that this is my first story, so cut me some slack if it doesn't measure up to everyone's standards, especially to any fans of "The Spider" by I'mjusttryingtofindmyway.**

 **Also, everyone should know that even though this fanfic was inspired by "The Spider", it won't take the exact same path as said story. There may be some similarities and possibly even some plot points that they share, but my story is distinct and will certainly NOT be any sort of copy & paste of "The Spider". Also, I asked I'mjusttryingtofindmyway for his permission/blessing to do this fanfic, which he did, so no one can say that I stole his story. **

**Now I feel like I may owe a few explanations:**

 **Peter's good luck powers: While the good-luck powers that my SI gained from Longshot will help sway things in his further, which is further boosted by my SI's proactive and smart actions, don't think for a minute that things will perfect for him or that he will become a Gary-Stu. There will still be plenty of challenges for my SI to face, and bad things will still occasionally happen. Just don't expect it to spiral out of control like with the famous "Parker Luck", which took its toll on all aspects of Peter's life (social, romantic, professional, etc.). The good-luck powers also serve for an additional purpose, though I won't divulge it now.**

 **My SI's confrontation with the One-Above-All: In my opinion, the One-Above-All is the only being from Marvel who could believably bring someone from the real world into Marvel(although the Beyonder is debatable), but the One-Above-All is certainly the only one who could place an unbreakable mental barrier that prevents any psychics/telepaths or other Cosmic beings from learning of my SI's true origins, and keep his original memories and comprehensive knowledge of Marvel safe and secret. And the One-Above-All could certainly take action to ensure that no Cosmic being notices my SI, or at least not prematurely.**

 **My SI's powers: My SI currently has the powers of not only Spider-Man, but also those of Longshot, Rogue, Wolverine, and Taskmaster. None of them are too drastic or can be considered as too OP, and they each serve a specific purpose. Peter won't use Rogue's power to gain more powers for a little while, and will use it for the time being mainly as an alternative to Telepathy (since it can absorb information), as well as to help my SI accumulate new skills (new languages, hacking, weapons mastery, etc.), and the powers of the other 3 individuals should be pretty straightforward. My SI will also gain the powers of other individuals that he had chosen before being brought to the MCU, though they won't appear for some time and I am keeping them a secret.**

 **My SI's Proto-Adamantium Skeleton: Some of you might think I took this from the latest chapter of "The Spider", but I chose it for my own reasons. Wolverine's Adamantium skeleton provided him with virtual invulnerability and made his claws infinitely stronger, though it came at a price: it made him significantly heavier, was vulnerable to Magneto's powers, and subjected Logan to Adamantium poisoning (which was constantly kept at bay by his healing factor and ultimately contributed to the "Old Man Logan" Storyline"). Vibranium, on the other hand, is extremely light-weight, completely vibration-absorbent, is compatible with organic tissue and even enhances biological capabilities, and is invisible to metal-detectors, among other benefits. And since Proto-Adamantium has the benefits of both while being infinitely stronger than either metal, it was the best choice. Besides, Proto-Adamantium was created by accident in the form of Captain America's shield when Adamantium and Vibranium were combined with an unknown catalyst, and was impossible to recreate. So it's not like my SI could make it on his own, assuming he could even get his hands on the 2 metals given their exceptional rarity and price, not to mention the consequences of drawing the attention of Wakandans for acquiring Vibranium.**

 **The pairings: it's a secret.**

 **Don't forget to leave a review, but you should know something: while I will take legitimate constructive criticism into consideration, especially since this is my first fanfic, it has to be LEGITIMATE if it's criticism. Flamers WILL be ignored.**

 **Please follow and favorite!**


	2. Important Announcement

**Greetings to all my patient and loyal readers. I am truly surprised yet honored and proud of how popular this fanfic has become, considering that this is technically my first story. Thank you all for your loyal support throughout this time.**

 **Now, it's time to acknowledge the elephant in the room: my rather sudden and long absence from this story. When I first made this story, the inspiration had come while i was preoccupied with important things. Final exams, projects, essays, presentations, job interviews, an actual job that turned out to be very vigorous and exhausting, extensive personal issues involving family, and acting as a Beta-Reader for other authors. And whenever I did have free time, I was either struck with writer's block or too mentally exhausted to write anything. Now, I am fully aware that it just sounds like I'm just laying out a ton of excuse, and I suppose I am, but unfortunately it's the truth. And despite my best efforts, things haven't exactly gotten better in terms of exams, job interviews, and jobs, and real life issues are unpredictable and indefinite in time.**

 **So unfortunately, if it wasn't already evident, I am leaving this story on hiatus for the time being. I hate it too, believe me, but until my schedule gets better and I can get back into the groove of things with writing Marvel, it is something I must do. I am not giving up writing, and I may pursue other stories to write, but until then, this story is officially on break.**

 **Also, for anyone interested: I am looking for someone who is well-versed in Marvel lore, and I am NOT just talking about the MCU(the MCU is undeniably an epic film franchise that I love dearly, but it does have its limits of its portrayals of characters and usage of storylines). This person should have a decent, if not comprehensive, knowledge of the comic storylines. Contrary to what many fans of the MCU think, Marvel is much more dangerous than you might initially think, with an abundance of OP and dangerous characters that are not easily bested, even for the strongest and greatest of heroes. It's one of the main reasons why my SI has more powers and will gain more as time goes on compared to canon Spider-Man. I am NOT doing this for the sake of making some crazy OP MC, and contrary to what some of you might think, my SI is NOT invincible or some sort of Gary-Stu character, nor is this a wish-fulfillment fanfic. My SI will face serious challenges in the future, and everything will certainly NOT be going his way all the time. So I kindly ask that the complaints of such please come to an end.**

 **Thank you, and I hope you all understand.**


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